


Weathering The Storm

by MadalineGrace



Series: What's Your Emergency? [19]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:26:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadalineGrace/pseuds/MadalineGrace
Summary: “Sorry to bother you on your day off.”“It’s no trouble, Cap. Everything okay?” There was a slight pause and Eddie gripped the phone a little tighter.“It’s…well, it’s just that Buck hasn’t shown up for his shift yet.”Buck's sick and a massive storm is raging over Los Angeles. It's going to be a long night.
Series: What's Your Emergency? [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1688359
Comments: 12
Kudos: 293





	Weathering The Storm

It was a strange morning for Eddie Diaz. It was one of his rare weekends off. Even when he wasn’t working, Eddie was normally up with the sun, bustling about the house preparing breakfast, helping Christopher get ready, and doing the other millions of things involved in herding an excited nine-year-old out the door and off to school. Today, however, Chris was staying at Peppa’s. Some cousins from Texas were visiting and the younger kids had all wanted to have a sleepover. Eddie had chatted for a while, but things were still tense with his family. Still, he saw no reason why Christopher shouldn’t enjoy a fun weekend and had dropped him off after his shift.

Now, on this rainy Saturday morning, Eddie wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He’d thought he would’ve slept in, but years of conditioning had him awake anyway. He’d worked out, done some laundry, made a breakfast far too big for one man to eat alone, and channel surfed for an hour. By then, it was only ten in the morning. Usually, on days like these, he’d call Buck and have him over. But, just like every single one of his friends, he was working. Eddie wasn’t sure how, but he’d ended up the only member of the team not on shift. A sane person, Eddie mused, would be grateful for the break. He was climbing the walls.

Eddie was just about to start the no doubt riveting task of organizing his son’s closet when the phone rang. He frowned slightly at the screen before answering.

“Bobby? What’s up?” Odd for him to call during a shift.

“ _Hey, Eddie._ ” Bobby greeted, somewhat breathlessly. From the sounds in the background, he assumed they were on a call. “ _Sorry to bother you on your day off_.”

“It’s no trouble, Cap. Everything okay?” There was a slight pause and Eddie gripped the phone a little tighter.

“ _It’s…well, it’s just that Buck hasn’t shown up for his shift yet._ ”

“Wasn’t he supposed to start, like,” Eddie consulted his watch, “four hours ago?”

“ _We’ve been calling, but he hasn’t picked up._ ” Bobby admitted worriedly.

“That isn’t like him.”

“ _No, it’s not. Not for a long time. I would’ve gone and checked on him already, but we’ve been so slammed with calls today and being two men down-_ “

“Say no more, Cap.” Eddie already had his keys in his hand.

* * *

Eddie parked next to Buck’s Jeep, not liking the implication. If his car was here, then the man probably was too. Except, said man wasn’t responding calls or texts. As he hopped out of the truck, Eddie had to duck under his sweatshirt hood to shield himself from the pouring rain. It may have been midmorning, but with how dark the sky was, it looked more like dusk.

When he reached Buck’s front door, Eddie considered walking straight in, but decided against it. He was still holding on to the faintest hope that this was something simple. Buck had just overslept. And his phone had died. That was all. Eddie would knock, give him time to compose himself, and drag his ass down to the station. He liked that plan. Except, no one answered when he knocked.

“Buck! Wake up, man. It’s Eddie. You’re late for your shift.” Nothing. Eddie changed from lightly rapping his knuckles to all out pounding against the wood. “Hey! Evan Buckley! You got five seconds to open this door or I’m coming in.” He warned. _Five, four, three, two, one…_ Eddie sighed and dug out his keys, his gut churning as he fit them in the lock and turned the knob. He started to push the door open, but it only made it a couple inches before it caught on something solid and heavy.

“Shit…Buck!”

Taking care not to hurt the man on the floor, Eddie nudged the door open just enough to squeeze himself inside. Buck was slumped, unconscious, against the doorjamb, wearing the same, rain-soaked clothes from the previous day. He quickly knelt down and did a fast, frantic check. _Pulse…strong, but a little elevated. Respirations…acceptable, though congested. Injuries…none visible. Skin…pale, diaphoretic, and…oh._ Eddie had been so focused on heartrate while he’d checked Buck’s pulse that he was only now feeling the heat radiating off of him.

Looking at him now, the fever was obvious. The ashen complexion, red cheeks, sweaty brow. The more Eddie thought about it, the more he could kick himself for not noticing the signs sooner. The last couple days, Buck had seemed quieter, a bit more withdrawn and out of it than usual, but Eddie had just attributed it to stress and exhaustion. For the past week, the calls had been nonstop, one heart-pounding emergency after another. They were all tired beyond explanation and some of those calls, the ones they couldn’t save, were weighing heavily on all of them. Now, looking back, Eddie could see it. The loss of appetite, the not-so-subtle coughs, the blank, zoned-out stares. This had been coming for a while. Certainly, spending hours in the rain and mud yesterday hadn’t helped. He could just picture Buck coming home, barely on his feet, collapsing the moment he made it in the door. Shaking his head, Eddie brought himself back to the task at hand.

“Buck? Can you hear me? I need you to wake up.” He commanded softly, rubbing his knuckles along Buck’s sternum. Buck groaned in response, stirring faintly, and a fraction of the weight rolled off Eddie’s shoulders.

“Mmmmm…huh?” Buck grumbled as he batted Eddie’s hand away.

“There you go. You with me now?” Buck cracked open one eye and peered blearily up at Eddie.

“Eddie? I don’t feel so good…” Buck mumbled, lids drooping shut as he curled further against the door frame.

“Whoa, hey hey hey! Try to stay awake for a minute.” Eddie coaxed, tapping Buck lightly on the cheek. “You’re pretty sick and I need to check you out, alright?” Buck made a pitiful noise, but nodded anyway. “I’ll be right back. Eyes open, Buck.” Eddie instructed as he ran up the stairs two at a time. He was just digging out the medical kit Hen had made Buck buy when his phone buzzed. Eddie thumbed onto the call before he even looked at the name.

“Bobby, hey.”

“ _Did you find him?_ ”

“Yeah, he’s here alright. Found him passed out against his front door with one hell of a fever. I’m just grabbing a kit now to assess.”

“ _Do you want me to roll a unit your way?_ ” Bobby asked, voice tight with concern.

“Hang on a minute and let me see what we’re dealing with here.” Replied Eddie as he knelt back down next to Buck and put the call on speaker. Buck was awake, but only just, watching passively while Eddie took his temperature. “Ahhh, damnit Buck.” Eddie muttered when the machine beeped.

“ _How bad?_ ”

“Well,” Eddie blew out his cheeks, “it’s not _good_ , but it’s not anything life threatening. He’s sitting at 103.5 right now. I don’t think he needs an ambulance, but he should see a doctor. I can take him to the ED or urgent care.” Something in Eddie’s words roused Buck enough for him to struggle into a semi-upright position.

“No! No doctor. Eddie, please. I…I’m fine.” Buck pleaded, suddenly looking panicked. Eddie frowned, noting the uncharacteristic reaction. He gave Buck’s leg a light squeeze.

“You’re not fine. You’re really sick and I don’t wanna take any chances.”

“ _Buck?_ ” Bobby spoke up, addressing him for the first time. “ _Why don’t you want to go to the doctor? They can help you._ ” He prodded gently.

“I…I don’t want to…I _can’t_ go back there. Bobby, I promise I’ll be better. I’ll be fine. I can work, Bobby.” Buck rambled disjointedly. He’d obviously lost the thread of the conversation, but the sentiment was clear. It had only been a couple months since Buck had returned to full duties after the bombing and the clot. Bobby sighed.

“ _Eddie, what kind of supplies do you have there_?”

“Ummm, I’ve got one of Hen’s med kits, you know the ones she made all of us get. I saw some Tylenol and a full bottle of some max strength cold medicine in his bathroom.”

“ _Professional opinion?_ ” Bobby asked. Eddie considered for a moment.

“Like I said, he’s not great, but he’s not in any immediate danger. Rest, fluids, meds…he should be okay.”

“ _I hate to ask, but-_ “

“You’re not asking. Of course I’ll stay with him.”

“ _If he gets worse, you’ll take him in?_ ”

“Kicking and screaming if I have to. I got it, Cap. Get back to the team and I’ll handle things here.”

“ _Keep me updated._ ” Bobby called out a rushed goodbye over the sound of the alarm before hanging up. Eddie pocketed the phone and turned back to Buck. He had that same, lost and glassy-eyed expression Christopher always got with a high fever.

“Okay buddy,” Eddie gave his arm a small shake, “how about we get you out of these damp clothes and cleaned up, huh?” Buck lifted his head slowly and blinked up at him.

“Mmkay.” Buck mumbled, coughing raggedly into his shoulder. Eddie pulled him to his feet and led him up to the bathroom, a steadying arm looped around Buck’s waist. He had Buck sit on the edge of the tub while he fetched a clean t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

“Here we go. Let’s get you in the shower. How do you wanna do this? I can help if you-“

“I got it.” Buck dismissed with a wave of his hand, already struggling out of his clothes. Eddie raised a dubious eyebrow.

“You sure?” At Buck’s nod, he backed off a bit, letting the man have his space. He would, however, be sitting on the counter the entire time, just in case.

The shower was quick and finished without incident, but by the time he was done, Buck was absolutely drained. Eddie caught him by the arm as he began listing to the side, too tired to dry himself. Eddie didn’t say a word, just steered Buck to sit on the closed lid of the toilet while he toweled him off. Without pausing, he helped him into the fresh clothes as well. Tat done, he ushered Buck into the bed.

“Stay sitting up for a sec. I’m gonna go grab some medicine. Think you can eat something?” Eddie asked. Buck swallowed, looking sick at the mere mention of eating.

“No food, please.” He groaned. Eddie returned a minute later with a large glass of water and couple of white tablets. Buck downed the pills with a swig of water, but Eddie stopped him when he tried to set the cup aside.

“No, you need to drink all of that. You know the drill, Buck. Rest, medication, and _fluids_.”

“Sir, yes sir.” Buck muttered sarcastically, but he complied. He took slow, careful sips, trying to ignore the way his stomach roiled. By the time he was done, Buck’s eyes had drooped shut and Eddie had to snag the glass out his hand before it dropped to the floor.

“Rest up, buddy. I’ll be here.” Eddie murmured as he shifted Buck to lie down on the mattress. Then, he settled into the armchair in the corner and prepared for the long wait.

* * *

It was less than an hour later when Buck jerked awake, coughing and gagging over the side of the bed. Eddie was at his side in an instant, pulling him up and grabbing the trashcan just in time. He was dismayed to see that the medication and the water he’d given Buck were now gone.

“Shhhh, it’s alright. I’ve got you.” Eddie murmured soothingly. He was holding Buck from behind, one arm looped around his chest and his other hand supporting his head. “It’s okay, Buck. Just try to breathe, okay?”

“Uhhhhnnnn….” Buck moaned as the heaving slowly tapered off. Eddie winced in sympathy.

“Do you think you’re done now? Wanna lay back down?”

“Mmmmhhhmmmm.” Hummed Buck shakily. Eddie eased him back onto his side.

“I’ll be right back.” He promised, ducking into the bathroom to quickly rinse out the bin. When he returned, he also had the thermometer in hand. He swept it over Buck’s forehead, and it beeped a second later. “Your temp’s gone up a bit.” He fretted.

“Sucks.” Eddie snorted at Buck’s understatement.

“Yeah, buddy, I know it does. Those meds didn’t really get a chance to work, though. We’re gonna have to try again.” At Buck’s pleading look, Eddie clarified. “Not quite yet. I don’t think your stomach could handle it. We’ll wait a little while, let you rest.” Buck nodded, wincing at the loud rumbling from outside.

“Wha’s goin’ on out there?” Eddie glanced over the rain streaked windows. The storm had really picked up and it was an absolute downpour now. Thunder crashed at regular intervals and lightning lit up the room like a flickering television. Even in the well-insulated apartment, Eddie could hear the wind howling.

“It’s storming out. Pretty big one, too. Is it bothering your head?”

“Yeah. The lights…an’ the sound. Not good.”

“Let me see if I can do something about that.” Eddie went into the bathroom, grabbed a clean washcloth, and soaked it in cool water. “I can’t do much about the noise,” Eddie began, sitting on the edge of the bed, “but maybe this will help.” He folded the cloth and laid it over Buck’s shadowed eyes. Buck sighed in contentment, the lines in his brow smoothing a little.

“S’nice.” He mumbled.

“Good. You just relax for a bit and we’ll see if we can try the pills again in a bit.”

* * *

Just as the storm outside, Buck’s fever raged on. They’d tried the medications a couple more times, but it always ended the same. Even water never stayed down for long. As the hours creeped by, Eddie was starting to feel out of his depth. Buck’s temperature had risen again and he was so obviously miserable. He’d already sweat through one shirt and was quickly soaking through a second. Buck slept fitfully, tossing around and shivering, even as the heat rolled off of him. The near constant coughing kept him from getting any real reprieve. Eddie had resorted to filling up a large bowl with water so he didn’t have to keep leaving in order to refresh the washcloth on his brow. He was at the point where what Buck needed and what he was able to provide were on completely different levels, and a decision needed to be made, whether Buck liked it or not.

“Buck, this isn’t working.” Eddie said as mopped the sweat away from Buck’s temples. “You’re getting worse and you need actual medical care.”

“No…” Buck moaned. “Please, _please_ , don’t make me go…I promise I’ll stop…” Eddie wasn’t sure if Buck was even understanding him. Half of the things he’d said in the last hour had been incoherent nonsense.

“I know you don’t feel good, but this is to help you, to make you feel better, okay? I’m gonna take you to the hospital, get you-“

Suddenly, the lights snapped off, plunging the room into darkness. The only illumination came from the brief flashes of lightening through the windows. Beneath the roar of the storm, Eddie registered the absence of other sounds - the hum of the refrigerator, the whir of the air conditioning, the ticking of the clock. The power had gone out.

Cursing, Eddie ran over to one of the large windows and peered out. The normally busy street outside of Buck’s building was now packed full of cars, honking angrily as traffic came to a standstill. Eddie couldn’t tell exactly what was happening without the illumination from the streetlights, but it wasn’t good. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Bobby again.

“ _Eddie? What’s going on? Are you guys okay?_ ” Wherever Bobby was, it was loud and chaotic. Eddie could hear sirens and shouting in the background.

“He’s worse, Bobby. He needs a doctor, but something’s going on with the roads. Everything’s gridlocked outside of his place.”

“ _It’s the storm. We’ve got power outages reported all over the city. Half of the roads are shut down or jammed up because of flooding._ ” Bobby explained and Eddie could hear the concern in his harried voice. “ _Let me check our map here for closures…yeah, everything around you is a mess. Downed power lines, a fire from a blown transformer, flooding everywhere._ ”

“What are you saying, Cap? ‘Cause right now, the parking lot is blocked and I couldn’t drive out of here if I wanted to.”

“ _I’m saying that you’re going to be stuck there for a while. I’m not seeing any clear routes to any hospital. You could try calling 911, but everyone’s stretched so thin. Dispatch has thousands of backlogged calls and it could be hours before anyone gets to you. But if he’s critical…”_ Bobby trailed off, clearly torn. Eddie sighed.

“We’re not there yet, but if his temp goes any higher… _damnit_. I’m doing my best here, but he hasn’t been able to keep any of the pills down.” In the background, Eddie could hear shouting. The team must’ve been on a call.

“ _Do what you can, Eddie. If he gets to that point, try calling 911. If you can’t get through, call me and I’ll make something happen._ ” Bobby promised.

“Stay safe, Cap. All of you.” Eddie hung up, trying not to let the frustration color his voice. He glanced back down at the bed where Buck lay in a tangled, sweaty mess of blankets before heading back down the stairs. Eddie knew that after the last quake, Buck had stocked his emergency supplies fairly well. When he opened the hall closet, he couldn’t help but grin in triumph at the sight of two large lanterns, a crank radio, and a few jugs of water.

“Okay, Buck.” Eddie said as he began setting up the lanterns around the bed. “Looks like we’re on our own for a while.”

“Alone…always alone…” Muttered Buck hoarsely. Eddie frowned and smoothed back his sweaty hair.

“Not alone, buddy. You’ve got me and I’m gonna help you, okay?”

“H-help?” The confusion in Buck’s voice nearly broke Eddie’s heart. “Feel sick…” He moaned, tossing his head from side to side.

“I know, Buck, I know. Maybe we can-“ Eddie broke off as Buck whimpered and gagged, splashing a small amount of bile onto his shirt.

“S-sorry…’m so s’rry.”

“Shhh, hey, it’s okay. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. Let’s get you cleaned up, huh?” Eddie soothed. Buck didn’t respond. With the patience and skill of a father, Eddie quickly removed the soiled shirt and doused another washcloth in water. As he began wiping Buck’s chest, an idea struck him. He pulled back the twisted blankets, causing Buck to shiver even harder, despite feeling like a furnace. With him mostly exposed, Eddie rewet the cloth and began running it over the fevered skin. Buck immediately flinched away from him, hands grappling for the blanket.

“No….s’too cold…stop…no more… _please_ …” The last word nearly broke Eddie’s resolve.

“I’m sorry, Buck, but I gotta get your fever down. You’re burning up here. Just a little longer.”

“Eddie…” Buck tried to shove his hand away, but he lacked any real strength. His lids were only open a fraction, but Eddie could still see those blue eyes, full of fear and confusion and pain.

“A little more. Just a little more. Hang on.” Eddie murmured. He kept up the soft litany until Buck stopped struggling against him and sagged back into the sheets, too exhausted to fight anymore.

Finally, and Eddie had no idea how much time had passed, Buck started to feel a little cooler. With one cloth still draped over his chest, Eddie checked the thermometer again. _Still way too high, but moving in the right direction_. Buck was completely worn out, all energy gone. He lay passively, blinking up at the ceiling with fever glazed eyes, coughing harshly around thin, ready breaths.

“Buck?” Eddie cupped one flushed cheek in his hand. “Do you think you can try some water now? You’re really dehydrated.”

“Hmmmmmm…” Buck hummed, unconsciously leaning into the touch.

“You gotta give me more than that, man. Come on, let’s give it a try.” Eddie gently sat Buck up and arranged a tall stack of pillows behind him before lowering him back down. Then he sat next to him, looping one arm around Buck’s shoulders and guiding the cup of water to his mouth. “Drink, Buck. Just a few sips is all I’m asking.” He coaxed. Buck managed a couple mouthfuls before turning away and burying his head in Eddie’s shoulder.

“Done now?”

“Yeah, buddy, for now. Let’s see how this settles. We’ll try a little more in a few minutes.” Buck nodded and curled tighter into Eddie. They sat there, nothing but the sounds of the storm and Buck’s labored breathing between them. After ten minutes, Eddie raised the cup again.

“Okay, Buck, a little more. You can do it.”

This became the routine for the next hour. Eddie would cajole Buck into a few sips before Buck would turn away and fall back into a restless sleep. A few minutes later, Eddie would rouse him enough to try again and they’d repeat the whole process. It was slow going, but so far it seemed to be staying down. When the glass was nearly empty, Eddie shook a couple tablets of the cold medication out and held them to Buck’s lips. Buck barely twitched, too spent to even bother cracking an eye open.

“Almost done. I know you’re tired, but I need you stay awake just one more minute so we can get some meds in you. Open up,” Eddie tipped the pills into his mouth and held up the cup, “and swallow. There you go. That’s it.”

“Sleep…now?” Buck rasped, his voice barely a whisper.

“Sleep now.” Eddie agreed as Buck settled against his chest. “You did good, buddy.”

* * *

The night passed slowly for Eddie. The storm continued its rampage outside, but inside, a sense of tentative calm had settled over the apartment. After hours of his temperature dipping, only to spike again, Buck had turned the corner. While he was nowhere near well, Eddie no longer felt the panic of earlier. Buck was sleeping soundly now, draped halfway across Eddie. Every so often, Eddie would nudge him awake and ply him with more water or medication. Then, the moment he’d finished, Buck would promptly pass out again. While he slept, Eddie called his aunt about Christopher, checked in with Bobby, and scrolled through his phone. Mostly, though, he stared out the expansive windows, absently admiring the lighting. At some point around four in the morning, he too drifted off, lulled to sleep by the rumble of the thunder.

* * *

“What the hell happened here?”

Eddie’s eyes flew open at the sound of Chimney’s voice and they darted around wildly until they found the man himself. Chim, along with Hen and Bobby, was standing at the top of the stairs, peering down at the bed in concern. Eddie did a quick once over of the room. It was light now and the power must’ve kicked back on, so he could clearly see just what a disaster the loft was. The entire area – bed, floor, table – was a mess. Sheets and blankets were strewn around without care and damp washcloths littered the area around him. Buck was still asleep, back pressed against Eddie’s chest. Eddie could only imagine what he looked like – bleary-eyed, disheveled, still clutching a thermometer in one hand. In answer to Chim’s question, he scrubbed a hand over his eyes and groaned.

“Rough night.”

“Yeah, we got that.” Hen answered kindly.

“How is he doing?” Asked Bobby, perching on the edge of the bed and pressing the back of his hand to Buck’s forehead. “When we didn’t hear from you, we decided to stop in after our shift.”

“Ummm, he’s still pretty sick, but better than yesterday. Got his temp down late last night and he’s been sleeping ever since.” Eddie yawned.

“Must’ve been one hell of a fever.” Chim commented, toeing aside a washcloth with his boot.

“You have no idea.”

“Bobby gave us a little insight.” Said Hen. “Which is why we brought this.” She held out a steaming cup of coffee and Eddie nearly cried.

“Marry me, Henrietta.”

“Hey, I’m the one who suggested we stop!” Chim groused. Hen chuckled.

“He’s all yours, Chim. No offense, pretty boy, but you’re not my type.”

“I’ll cry about that later.” Eddie quipped, taking a long pull.

“Who’s cryin’?” Buck mumbled sleepily. Bobby smiled and ran a hand through his damp curls.

“Hey, kid. You waking up now?” Buck blinked owlishly up at them for a moment.

“S’goin on?”

“What’s going on?” Eddie scoffed. “You, my friend, managed to get yourself so sick I almost had to take you to the hospital last night.”

“Oh…that’s not good.”

“Understatement of the year, Buckaroo.” Hen replied.

“Well, you sound better than yesterday.” Bobby observed.

“We talked yesterday?” Buck asked.

“It’s okay if you don’t remember, Buck. You were pretty out of it.” Said Bobby.

“Yeah, boiling your brain in that thick skull of yours tends to mess with your head.” Chim teased.

“I’m so confused…why’re you all here? In my room?” Buck’s brow furrowed and he looked up at Eddie. “And why are we…?”

“It was a rough night.” Eddie repeated. Buck, still too tired to think properly, seemed to accept that.

“Can I go back to sleep?”

“Soon, Buck. But you’re coming home with me.” Bobby informed him. “Athena and I decided you should sleep off whatever this where we can keep an eye on you.” Buck stared for second, zoning out a bit before nodding.

“I’m don’t think I should drive.” He said seriously. Bobby huffed out a small laugh.

“No, I should think not. I’ll drive.”

Between the four of them, they managed to quickly clean up the worst of the mess and get Buck into a clean set of clothes. With the others here now, the stress of the night was catching up with Eddie and he could barely keep his eyes open. As they headed down the steps on their way to the door, he absently patted his pockets.

“Where’re my keys?” He muttered. Hen held them up, jingling them a little.

“Right here.”

“Dude, you’re wrecked. And if I’m saying that after I just got off the shift from hell, you know you look like crap. There’s no way we’re letting you drive yourself home.” Chim said, leading Eddie into the elevator by his arm.

“But Christopher-“

“Is taken care of. He’s at your aunt’s right? We’ll swing by and grab him on the way.” Hen assured him.

“Oh…okay.” Eddie mumbled tiredly as he leaned against the back wall and closed his eyes. “Sleep sounds nice.” Buck, who was already half asleep and being held up by Bobby, hummed in agreement.

“G’night Eddie.”

“Night, Buck.”

Bobby smiled fondly at the two of them. On days like today, he was almost overwhelmed with gratitude for his little family. It had been a hell of a night, but together, they’d weathered the storm and made it to the bright morning.


End file.
